So a few months ago we were given two hens and a chicken tractor. We loved the idea of having hens but we really didn't know what we were getting into. We've been around backyard chooks before, but only in rural NZ - in the country yeah, they're really quiet. In town? Not so much!
Within a day...
Great article and timely - Henrietta hasn't given us an egg for two days now...first world problems! I catastrophised a bit (we've never had hens before) but she's acting perfectly normally and seems healthy as anything. I'll take the emergency services off speed-dial!
And they free-range for...
Thanks for your advice - the reason why it sounds a little bit temporary is because our backyard gets very boggy, so we need to be able to move them around to keep them away from the worst ground. I don't think a permanent enclosure would ever work here (at least, not one that's compliant with...
We live in suburban Wellington and had two chooks in a chicken tractor. They were perfectly happy, but we wanted to give them more space.
So we made them a portable run which the tractor sits in. And they loved that for a good few days.
Now they're escaping the run in no time at all and...
That's not a bad idea. I'm reluctant to get another one, they're chickeny best friends and I can't imagine a newbie being welcomed with open wings. Plus we have limited space. If Shelley goes all broody-pants on a regular basis I'll definitely re-think that though!
We're new to henkeeping (we've only had our two girls for two or three months) so when one went broody we just sort of asked her to please not be broody anymore.
That didn't work. (There's a surprise!)
So we built a broody jail - we call it the henitentiary - out of things we had lying around...
The broody one (Shelley) is pretty quiet, even when she's swearing at us she's ladylike about it. Henrietta, though. Crikey, she really lets rip! (If she is in fact a rooster then she's the world's first egg-laying rooster.) (In which case she could be quite valuable! She's a miracle! I could...
Waaaaaaaay faster than me! (It's not enormously difficult to be faster than me, but still...)
One of them's very shrieky in the morning. We've tried explaining that we have neighbours but no luck so far. It's almost like she's trying to harness her inner rooster. Not entirely sure if there's...
I am from New Zealand! (And thanks for your warm welcome!)
We had a rare hot day today (Wellington's weather is more than a little bit crappy) and the girls felt it. We've extended their living quarters - during the day they get loads of foragey space - and today we added a shade-cloth to...
So we were given two hens (Henrietta Cluck and Shelley) and a lovely chicken tractor. We live in suburban Wellington, and we hadn't expected chooks - it's been a very interesting time for all concerned!
Henrietta escaped from the tractor and we learnt that you can't negotiate with a chicken...